Biology subjects

Stacey, H. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Stacey, H. D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Single-dose respiratory mucosal delivery of next-generation viral-vectored COVID-19 vaccine provides robust protection against both ancestral and variant strains of SARS-CoV-2

The emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) increasingly threaten the effectiveness of current first-generation COVID-19 vaccines that are administered intramuscularly and are designed to only target the spike protein. There is thus a pressing need to develop next-generation vaccine strategies to provide more broad and long-lasting protection. By using adenoviral vectors (Ad) of human and chimpanzee origin, we developed Ad-vectored trivalent COVID-19 vaccines expressing Spike-1, Nucleocapsid and RdRp antigens and evaluated them following single-dose intramuscular or intranasal immunization in murine models. We show that respiratory mucosal immunization, particularly with chimpanzee Ad-vectored vaccine, is superior to intramuscular immunization in induction of the three-arm immunity, consisting of local and systemic antibody responses, mucosal tissue-resident memory T cells, and mucosal trained innate immunity. We further show that single-dose intranasal immunization provides robust protection against not only the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2, but also two emerging VOC, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. Our findings indicate that single-dose respiratory mucosal delivery of an Ad-vectored multivalent vaccine represents an effective next-generation COVID-19 vaccine strategy against current and future VOC. This strategy has great potential to be used not only to boost first-generation vaccine-induced immunity but also to expand the breadth of protective T cell immunity at the respiratory mucosa.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2021

Gut microbiota-based vaccination engages innate immunity to improve blood glucose control in obese mice

Obesity and diabetes increase circulating levels of microbial components derived from the gut microbiota. Individual bacterial factors (i.e., postbiotics) can have opposing effects on metabolic inflammation and blood glucose control. We tested the net effect of gut bacterial extracts on blood glucose using a microbiota-based vaccination strategy in mice. Male and female mice had improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control five weeks after a single subcutaneous injection of a specific dose of a bacterial extract obtained from the luminal contents of the proximal gut. Injection of mice with proximal gut extracts from germ-free mice revealed that bacteria were required for a microbiota-based vaccination to improve blood glucose control. Vaccination of Nod1-/-, Nod2-/-, and Ripk2-/- mice showed that each of these innate immune proteins was required for bacterial extract injection to improve blood glucose control. A microbiota-based vaccination promoted a proximal gut immunoglobulin-G (IgG) response directed against bacterial extract antigens, where subcutaneous injection of mice with the luminal contents of the ileum elicited a bacterial extract-specific IgG response that is compartmentalized to the ileum of vaccinated mice. A microbiota-based vaccination was associated with an altered the microbiota composition in the ileum and colon of mice. Lean mice required a single injection of proximal gut bacterial extracts, but high fat diet (HFD)-fed, obese mice required prime-boost bacterial extract injections for improvements in blood glucose control. These data show that, upon subversion of the gut barrier, vaccination with proximal gut bacterial extracts engages innate immunity to promote long-lasting improvements in blood glucose control in a dose-dependent manner.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2021

IgA Potentiates NETosis in Response to Viral Infection

IgA is the second most abundant antibody present in circulation and is enriched at mucosal surfaces. As such, IgA plays a key role in protection against a variety of mucosal pathogens, including viruses. In addition to neutralizing viruses directly, IgA can also stimulate Fc-dependent effector functions via engagement of Fc alpha receptors (FcRI) expressed on the surface of certain immune effector cells. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocyte, express FcRI, and are often the first to respond to sites of injury and infection. Here, we describe a novel function for IgA:virus immune complexes (ICs) during viral infections. We show that IgA:virus ICs potentiate NETosis - the programmed cell death pathway through which neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Mechanistically, IgA:virus ICs potentiated a suicidal NETosis pathway via engagement of FcRI on neutrophils through a toll-like receptor (TLR)-independent, NADPH oxidase complex-dependent pathway. NETs also were capable of trapping and inactivating viruses, consistent with an antiviral function.

immunology↗